Kicking it in the cold

It is winter time in Morgantown and it is not being quite as friendly as last year. In fact, I was so frustrated by the cold, freezing rain yesterday that I decided to look up on my Strava account to see what I was doing last year at this time. Turns out it was warm enough to get in a 75 mile ride and I was able to leave at 10:30 AM so it must have been pretty warm (and if I remember correctly it was).Contrasting with the current situation where I was able to suffer in the freezing rain for about an hour but after your face begins to sting with freezing pain you just have to call it a day. I ended up riding the rollers and watching some great TED Talks for a while longer. Although I hate riding inside, I can’t complain about the balmy 68 degree temps!

Besides the weather though, there isn’t much to complain about around here. I have a super light class schedule that is also quite easy leaving plenty of time for riding and relaxing. I have also filled the void of time that comes with cutting your class hours in half with lots of research into training and nutrition. I am really trying to just absorb as much information as I can about the ancillary things to sport. Topics like nutrition and hydration have really had my attention lately and I have already polished off a few good books in the past few weeks.

One thing in particular that has grabbed ahold of me is the Paleo Diet as well as the research and nutritional guidance of Dr. Tim Noakes out of Cape Town, South Africa. To keep it simple, he basically turns moot the idea of fueling our bodies with copious amounts of carbohydrates. He not only says that fueling with fat is better but also much healthier and will make you leaner. Now, I am not talking Little Debbie and Oreo fats but good, healthy fats. Eggs, fish, and good lean meats should become the staples of the diet and be accompanied by many good vegetables. He actually advocates that we minimize our carbohydrate intake and he himself eats less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day! Granted, he also minimizes his fruit intake and that helps him keep these low levels.

My approach is not entirely Noakes based (which is actually based on the Harvey-Banting Diet of the late 1800s) but more of a Paleo approach with a Noakes influence. In that, I don’t plan to give up fruit because it is very nutritious and as a long range endurance athlete I need the carbohydrates. However, I have cut certain things on a daily basis. Instead of my religious morning oatmeal I have “notoatmeal” which tastes just as good but does not have all of the carbohydrates and instead supplies more fat. Snacking proves tougher but I get by on almonds as opposed to apples as frequently. Basically, I have increased my intake of meats, fish, and eggs and cut back on the carbs like grains even the unprocessed ones. All of this has to do with the idea of Carbohydrate Resistance as proposed my Noakes and, if you have an interest in it, you can either use the interweb to search for Noakes and Carbohydrate Resistance or shoot me an email and I can point you towards so helpful link. This is very much so a condensed version of the theory and you really must do some further reading to understand it. I will be the first to say that I thought it was a bunch of crap until I actually did some reading and then tested it on myself.

The weather is starting to break here finally though and it looks like I will be able to begin grinding away the day long rides again soon. I am actually dealing with a recent injury now as well which could have been serious but was luckily assessed soon enough that it will be fixed in no time at all. More importantly, it hasn’t stopped me from grinding away on the hamster wheel and the frozen singletrack. A big thanks goes to my coach Mike Shultz for turning me on to Dr. Noakes…..and yoga…..and the teach a man to fish method of training. Basically, I have learned a lot from the man behind Highland Training since we began working together a few short months ago and I am already feeling faster, stronger, and more motivated than I ever have in my life. Also, I seem to always say this but this time I mean it: Weekly blog posts are going to start coming out of me. I always put it off and then decided that I have all of these thoughts to spill. However, I am also aware that no one has the time or patience to sit and read a 30 minute novel about the last 3 months of my life. So, I will try to start picking a topic and keeping it to a page double spaced. If you did make it this far, thanks for reading and come back again please!

'Tis the Season for 'Cross

It’s November in West Virginia and that means 3 things. One, it means Thanksgiving is here which, for some may not be significant, but for me it means a week off of school filled with riding and relaxing at home. Two, it means things are starting to cool down and the jackets and tights are coming out. No longer can a ride be thrown together in 10 minutes but rather must be planned for 15 and then another 20 of getting dressed. Third, and most exciting, is that cyclocross season is in full swing. With multiple racing opportunities every weekend, there is no hiding from the season so I might as well embrace it.

I have always enjoyed cyclocross even though this year marks only my second season of participating in the drunken circus. Last year, because of the timing of collegiate mountain bike nationals, I was on the road racing mountain bikes for the first half of ‘cross season and too worn out from traveling and racing to think about the tail end of the year. However, this year, I took a step back from the collegiate scene and decided to focus more locally this Fall in hopes of feeling a little more ready to go when January rolls around. With Nationals being in Pennsylvania in 2013 I would be downright stupid not to focus on it and make it my “big goal” for the year. Anyways, hanging around home meant I had the chance to race some cyclocross.

‘Cross racing really provides two things for me. First, it is just an absolute ton of fun. The complete absurdity of the entire format makes it an absolute blast. It is hard for me to get overly serious about things when I am sliding through a turn on my ass or running up a muddy hill while being heckled by my friends. Second, racing cyclocross helps me carry a bit more fitness into the base season and is a great chance to get some good threshold work done. There is no better training than racing and there is no better threshold workout than a “drooling on your chin” ‘cross race.

So, with little preparation, I rolled into the first race of the season: ABRA’s Kickoff Cross in Point Marion, PA and was pleasantly surprised to have my bell rung. I found myself not only starting in the back of the field but also remaining there, battling for the top 15, for the entire race. I burped a tire, rammed a barrier, and, put simply, just sucked. With that in the books, I decided that a little practice in the transitions department was in order. Granted, I didn’t put too much time into it (again, the goal is not to get too serious) but I gave it enough effort as to not look like a fool again.

After Kickoff Cross was Military Cross in Oakdale, PA. It proved equally as disappointing unfortunately. After an OK start and maintaining good position in the field, the rain brought me down. My tire selection could not have been worse and I found myself doing more 180’s than anything else. I ended up finishing 10^th, which was OK but not nearly where I was hoping to be.

I was finally able to put it together for a 4^th place at Marilla Cross. With good tires and some half descent ‘cross skills on my side, I got around the course in a respectable manner. I was evening riding up in 3^rd at one point but just got all goofy headed and lost my flow. Still though, compared to how things had been going I couldn’t complain.

Finally came the Monster Cross weekend and the coinciding state championship race. Given my love for glory, fame, and the copious amounts of cash that come with winning state championships, I told coach Mike Shultz that I wanted to make this an “A” race for ‘cross season. Honestly, I had planned more than anything to be helping out teammate Gunnar Shogren take the win but, after his nasty crash at Marilla Cross while battling for the win there, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to be able to motor at the front and contest the title.

Per what has become the usual this Fall, I blew my prime starting position on the front row by missing a pedal and was in about 12^th into the first turn. I knew that I needed to get to the front quickly so, on the next straight, I dropped the hammer and started making passes. I got up behind Gunnar in around 6^th or so and followed him for a few minutes to learn the good lines before making my way up further through the group.

Finally, I found myself in 4^th place behind Mike Vanderberg, the only other West Virginia and, therefore, my target. With much cheering from my teammates along the sidelines I found my way up to Mike. We went at it for a good bit with constant attacking and counter attacking up the climbs and over the barriers. After some serious battling, I was able to get a sizeable gap on one of the power straights and hold it until the end wrapping up 3^rd place and the 1/2/3 WV cyclocross state championship for team Pathfinder of WV! As a bonus to it all, JR Petsko, the ABRA promoter, now calls me to the line as “the West Virginia Cyclocross State Champion” which is pretty cool.

The next day we headed to the 4-H camp again for day 2 of Monster Cross. Although many course elements were the same there were a few key changes that made the course both faster but also more challenging in the transition areas. This time I did a little better with the start hanging onto around 6^th place out of the gate. I maneuvered up through the group and settled into 4^th place. The lead group of three was motoring up ahead and I knew that, if I wanted to contest the top 3 steps on the podium, I was going to have to bridge up quickly. I made a big move on the major climb of the course and linked up with the tail end of the group. Unfortunately, leader Mike Mihalik saw me hook on and, at the bottom of the descent after the climb, dropped the hammer.  I was able to hang on through the flat but disconnected again through the dismount and run-up section and didn’t have the gas for another big solo effort. I decided at that point to just ride hard at threshold and hope that maybe someone up ahead exploded. As much as I wanted to be top 3, I wasn’t going to lose top 4 in the process of trying to get there. Not much happened after that except for a lot of head burying misery through which I maintained 4^th place.

‘Cross season, so far, has been a really great experience for me. I have not only had a lot of fun but also learned a fair bit that I think I will be able to utilize this spring when I hop on the Scalpel 29er for the season opener. If there is one thing ‘cross has taught me it is how to be smooth and flow through the turns. This is definitely a skill I lacked and I think I will really benefit from having learned it. “Point and shoot” works sometimes but it is always good to have options.

Until next time, ride hard, ride safe, and have fun!

- TL

24 Hour Champion Challenge

 Another year of the 24 Hour Champion Challenge at 7 Springs is in the books and, man, was it a blast! For most normal folks, the thought of riding a bike through the day and night in mud and muck while already suffering from sleep deprivation and fatigue would seem like something from Dante’s Inferno. For the dedicated mountain biker, however, it is a sort of twisted bliss. It taps into that part of you that wants to know just how much more you can take after you have reached your limit. Plus, it is just a crap load of fun to be completely dedicated to nothing but your bike and a team for a solid 24 hour period!

Last year, I did this race as part of the Dynamic Physical Therapy team with Gunnar and Betsy Shogren and JR Petsko and had an absolute blast. This year, with Gunnar, Betsy, and myself all being on the Pathfinder of WV/Stans NoTubes team, ¾ of the prior years team was able to head back up and was rounded out with the addition of current Pathfinder/NoTubes teammate Scott Benson. As was the prior year, we signed up for the 4-man Expert race even though we had a woman on the team. However, since it is Betsy Shogren we are talking about, it’s really just like having another expert male rider given her speed and skill.

On Saturday at high noon the race kicked off with a Le Mans style start consisting of a five to six minute run around Tahoe Lake at the top of the mountain to our bikes waiting on the other side. Being the youngest of the four, I was given the honor and privilege of plodding around the lake in Easton EC90 soled shoes to the tune of hamstring cramps and shin splints. Not being a runner in the slightest sense, I was a midpacker getting to the bikes. However, after some sketchy gravel road passes and all out efforts I was able to move up to third overall. After a few more minutes of racing I found myself mid-lap and in second with the leader Jason Cyr, riding with the Dirty Harry’s corporate team, in sight not far ahead.

At the outset of the race, Gunnar Shogren, in his unspoken but official team captain capacity, made the bold and kind of crazy announcement that we were here to “race everybody” meaning that we would go after the overall lead for as long as possible and just turn ourselves inside out every lap. Granted, I had been thinking that we might be able to go after it, at least for a few hours, but to actually hear someone say it and think about doing it made it seem nearly insane. We would be competing against teams with twice as many people. That meant that our 4-5 laps each would have to be just as fast as their 2-3 laps each. Basically, we had to go just as hard twice as much. Definitely a tall order to try and fill.

So, when I saw Jason up ahead I knew I had to just get on it and go get him. I kept him in sight until we got to the big climb on the course. Being about seven minutes in length, I knew that this would be the place to get up to his wheel. I put in a nice little effort to get up to his wheel in the first few minutes of the climb and then just stayed on his wheel for the remainder of the climb. I figured I could make the pass but it seemed pointless given the upcoming rock gardens and the fact that this was only lap one of five. No point in wasting that much gas so early.

The crowds were crazy and really got us going. There were literally people lining the entire course where it came through the camp and, being the first ones through, Jason and I got the biggest roar you could ever imagine! Below is a pic Gunnar snagged of Jason and I coming past on lap 1. 

I was able to hang onto Jason closely enough through the technical stuff that I was still near enough to make a move on the final climb. Coming in about 45 seconds to a minute ahead of him, I secured the overall lead for team Pathfinder/NoTubes.

After going through our rotation of myself, Gunnar, Scott, then Betsy, it was back to me. I arrived at the start tent and immediately checked the overall standing. We had dropped down to third overall but only had a 6-minute deficit to the leader. I figured that if all went well and the stars aligned I might be able to catch us back up to the lead. So, per Captain Gnars instructions, I turned myself inside out, caught us up to the leader, put about 2 minutes on the lead, and set the 2^nd fastest lap of the day. With Gunnar on deck, I knew we would at least be able to hold the lead for this rotation and we did up until about 8 or 9 PM. Granted, taking the overall or even keeping it until midnight would have been amazing but, in reality, it is damn near impossible to do with a 4 man team.

With those illusion of grandeur over we shifted our focus to our actual competition, the Expert 4 man race. Given our early eagerness, we had established a massive gap on second place in the field. That was good because the rain and darkness were moving in and things were going to slow way down. Luckily, Scott was one of the ones headed out for a rainy night lap. If you don’t know Scott, just know that he is one of the biggest hardasses when it comes to riding in less than ideal and epic conditions. Put simply, when it gets bad Scott goes fast. Given my apprehension to the rain, muck, and dark I was more than happy to see Scott head out in it all. After Scott was Betsy who, despite her nervousness about the general nastiness of things at the time, went out and did one of the faster laps of anyone on course at the time. No wonder lots of the boys get nervous when she shows up to these things!

My two night laps went well given the strategy I employed. Last year I had a rough time at night for multiple reasons so this year I decided just to back it off and use the night laps to recover. I still was able to turn in some fast night laps and backing the pace off really helped me stay a little fresher for my last morning lap. Night time is definitely interesting at a 24 hour race and how you play it can make you or break you. One of my biggest tips is to never acknowledge the actual time. Once you realize its 3 AM and you are on your bike is when you start to realize how tired you actually are. Just keep pedaling and don’t think about the dark.

After my last night lap around 4 AM I was able to go to sleep for a few hours. As weird as it sounds, sleeping after the second night lap is one of my favorite things of the whole night. Not simply because I am finally getting some sleep but because of just how awesome the quality of sleep is. I only was asleep for about 2 hours but it felt like I was out for 12. You just wake up with the morning sun feeling really refreshed even though, in reality, you are suffering from extreme sleep deprivation at this point. I think its kind of one of those things that you have to experience to understand so if you think the above sounds crazy, it’s understandable.

My last lap of the race was around 10 AM Sunday morning. I was feeling pretty toasted from my previous 4 laps so I just tried to play it safe through the tough stuff and then really slam the climbs and fireroads. My last lap was a little slower than expected at around 1:16 but, with 2 laps up on the next team down, it really didn’t matter at this point. Gunnar ended up crushing his last lap, turning in a 1:13. That may not sound fast when compared to the fastest laps of the race but considering the fact it was his 5^th makes it pretty amazing!

The whole race weekend went pretty seamlessly thanks to a lot of people who deserve mention. First off, thanks to our title sponsor Pathfinder of WV for not only getting us the right gear for the race but also for tuning up our bikes and putting up with our near constant visits in the days leading up to the race. Andy, Gabe, and the rest of the crew, you guys rock! Thanks to NoTubes for the ultimate in flat protection and tubeless performance. Reliable wheels=reliable racing! Thanks to Jacob Muscavage for wrenching for us this weekend. Those bikes were pretty gross after the rain and I am so happy I didn’t have to clean it to get ready for another lap. Huge thanks to Mom and Dad Latocha for towing up the camper, cooking for us, making us beds to sleep in, and driving us down to the lodge for showers. Basically, thanks for playing mom and dad for 4 grown adults for the weekend! Thanks to Sean Hilty for coming up to just help out in the evening, hang out, and also for bringing my bike back to town and hosing it off for me! Finally, personal thanks from me to Cannondale and Rob Voorhees for making sure I have the best bike setups for me possible. It is really great being able to ride the best bikes in the business and I am already drooling for my 2013 gear! That's all for now but with collegiate and 'cross kicking off soon there is sure to be more to come from me! Thanks for reading. 

- TL 

Doing the Double and State Champs

The last two weeks of racing have been quite voluminous and it’s nice to finally sit down and have time to write about it all. I am coming towards the end of a nice little mid year training break right now. Actually, it’s not really a break since it has been higher in volume than most of my training, but the break part comes from the lower intensity. I have really been enjoying some long road rides and also just some mellow rides with friends. Hammering alone everyday can be, well, lonely and its really just nice to have some company every now and then. However, just because the training drops in intensity doesn’t mean that the racing has to also! Two weeks ago, the Morgantown mountain bike community had the awesome opportunity to “do the double” with the Big Bear Ultra on Saturday and the ABRA White Park Throwdown on Sunday. With a chance to race two days in a row within a short drive, and for the Throwdown bike ride, away from home I would be silly to pass it up. So, on Saturday I got up early, got my race fuel in me, and headed up to Big Bear. I had a plan to keep myself in check on lap one, see how the legs were feeling come lap two, and then turn on the gas from there. I was really trying to conserve some energy for Sunday too and, after last year’s Big Bear Ultra, I knew I would be too dead to race at White Park if I went full throttle at the ultra. After chatting with the usual folks for a few on the line and sizing up the competition, we were off. As usual, some guys took off like it was an XC race. I let them ride off, albeit hard to do, knowing that I would most likely catch them within the first 45 minutes and then never see them again as they fell off my wheel. The only one I was really worried about was Rob Spreng of Dirty Harry’s Bike Shop. He took the lead from the gun and I knew he would be able to hold the gap all day if he wanted. Nevertheless, I stood by my plan and rode my pace. I passed everyone who had taken off in the beginning and found myself riding with Jason Cyr of Sanofi Team Type 1. Luckily for me, Jason was only doing the “Lite” race because of other commitments he had later in the day. I was really digging the pace he was setting and decided to just hang with him rather than try to bridge up to Rob. Granted, my legs were feeling good but, again, I had a plan and was really trying to stick to it. At the turn of the lap I refueled at the feed zone, bid farewell to Jason, and decided it was time to turn on the gas a little bit. The time gap up to Rob was about 4.5 minutes at that point. I knew that closing that down would be near impossible but also knew that if he had any issues, bike or otherwise, I could find myself right on his wheel. With that in mind, I set a nice tempo pace for myself and focused on putting in good efforts on the climbs and then recovering on the downhills. I have been playing around with tire pressure for a little while and I was really happy to find that I was able to dial in a low-but-not-too-low pressure that allowed me to really bomb the downhills faster than usual. Having a Stans NoTubes tubeless setup is really confidence inspiring! As long as you are running a solid tire with a strong bead, you can run some scary low pressure. As one of my cycling role models and good friend Robbie Loehr says, “If you don’t feel the rim a few times in the race, you have too much air in your tires.” Another little trick I will share is about tire selection. I always go with something with sidewall protection. Not necessarily for the extra protection, NoTubes sealant insures that, but for the extra rolling resistance that the thicker sidewall provides. This allows even lower pressure and can make a hardtail feel a little plusher once the 2-hour mark hits. Anyways, back to the race. Chase as I might, I was unable to real Rob in. The digital display put our second lap at the same time, which made me feel good knowing that all my time was lost in that first lap. Not saying that I was soft pedaling lap 1 or that I think I could have taken Rob but I definitely think I had more gas that I let show and it would have been interesting to try and battle it out. Oh well, no crying over spilt milk! Sunday brought fatigued arms, an aching back, and the White Park Throwdown. Although I was a little stiff, some early morning roller work and light stretching loosened the body up and I was good to hit the trail. After a last minute emergency bike fix it was time to race. After some race strategy coaching from teammate Scott Benson I knew how important getting the holeshot would be. The legs were definitely not feeling the kind of effort I knew being first into the woods would take but I at least had to go for it as I knew the first into the woods would most likely stay there until the end given the limited passing on the course. The start was hot and I found myself third wheel until the last second when I got taken on the inside on the turn into the woods. Crap! Fifth wheel was not the place to be but there was just nowhere to pass. I saw the two leaders gapping away and it was gut wrenching knowing there was nothing I could do. I finally made a super sketchy, close your eyes pass through some weeds to get into 4th wheel and then was able to get onto the chase after getting around teammate Gunnar Shogren on the climb. I knew if would be tough to catch back up to the leaders given the course style but I had to try. And then, the rain started. It wasn’t really an awful rain or anything but given how fresh most of the trails were it made everything like snot. Knowing that all I had to do to take the series title was simply finish, I decided to just take my time on the greasy stuff and then try and hold onto 3rd place by punching the gas where things were not so tricky. The strategy worked out, I held onto 3rd, and claimed the ABRA mountain bike series Pro/Open title. Given that I have never won an entire series before I was more than stoked to pull on the Pro/Open champion’s jersey for team Pathfinder of WV! A big thanks goes out to Pathfinder of WV for their constant support that never ceases to amaze me, Stan’s No Tubes for making sure that I am rolling on the lightest and best tubeless wheels in the business, and Cannondale for making it possible for me to ride the fastest bikes in the industry. Putting together a good season is so hard and having superior sponsorship support makes it all the more possible. Also, another big thanks to Morgantown Brewing Company and Jay’s Daily Grind for helping finance the awesome Sugoi team kits! Being comfortable in your chamois is a major part of being successful and thanks to these two businesses’ funding team Pathfinder is able to put our asses in the best stuff Sugoi makes! Just figured it was time for some thank you recognition given the point in the season. This past weekend, the team Pathfinder trio of Betsy and Gunnar Shogren, and myself headed down to the WVMBA State Championship race at Kanawha State Forest in Charleston, WV. As some may remember I did not have a good race there last year breaking my rear derailleur off in the first 20 minutes, being forced to walk back to the start finish in disgust, and getting lost and having to get a ride from some nice country folk along the way. Yea, it was not the best of weekends and I will leave it at that. So part of me was just going back for revenge against the course itself. Rolling out of bed at 5:30 AM so that I could make the drive in time for the 11 AM start, I was just happy to be awake on the start line. The start didn’t go off too hard so when we hit the first climb I just settle in to a nice tempo pace to try and drop some folks. I figured the only person who would hang with me would be local boy and young gun Matt Phillips and then he and I could battle it out from there. Sure enough, after about 8 minutes of climbing he caught onto my wheel and the race was on. Knowing he knows the trails at Kanawha like the back of his hand I was trying to keep him behind me and at the mercy of my sketchy non-local riding. However, that plan went to pot when I picked up a stick and had to pull over to remove it from my wheel. It didn’t take much for me to get back on his wheel as neither of us were really hammering but I knew he was really going to make me earn my keep on the downhills now. Sure enough, he hit the first downhill Danny Hart style and put a solid 20 seconds on me. Lucky for me it wasn’t too long and I was able to get back onto his wheel on the next climb. The next downhill was longer though and that is where he really put some time on me. The Scalpel 29er he was on just rolled over the rocks like butter and, combined with his knowledge of the trails, I didn’t stand a chance. On the next fire road climb we played a slinky like game of me closing the gap and then him opening it up again. I really thought I was going to close it down until an unplanned and last minute dismount to get under a fallen tree gave him just the chance he needed to open it up. I stayed on the gear and churned away but knew at this point that I was going to have to hope for him to make a mistake that I could then cover. The course itself is actually quite bizarre. Most races courses have a character and can be described a “units” of sorts. For example, Davis, WV is technical, The Race to Lil Moes is fast and flowy but keeps you honest, and the Henry Clay 30K is rugged and tests you mentally just as much as physically. However, this course really was just kind of a hodgepodge of various things. It has fireroads and technical downhills but nothing really in between. Not to slam the course or anything but it was just kind of wonky. I don’t mind a techy downhill every now and then but the amount in this course, I feel like, scares a lot of people away from coming to the race in the first place. At one point there was a 4-foot rock drop without any markings or anything warning of its existence. Thank god I was able to get off the bike at the last second but I couldn’t help but wonder how a sport rider was going to negotiate it. Anyways, just a little plug incase anyone wonders what things are like down that way. All I can say is be ready to climb like a mountain goat and descend like an Atherton. Now, back to the race. I was able to maintain control on the downhills and keep it upright all but twice. One crash did prove pretty painful but I was able to shake it off and keep rolling. After an almost wrong turn and some serious confusion about which way to go, I made my way down the final stretch to the finish. I came in about 4 minutes behind Matt which isn’t too bad considering all the confusion and what not but the win would have been welcomed! Overall, it has been a pretty successful summer campaign. I have had some really cool new experiences and gotten to travel to some new races that I can’t wait to get back to next season. I have made a lot of new friends and also learned more than I think I ever have in seasons past. With school getting ready to start back up in just a few days I find myself ready to get back into the balance of class and riding. I really do enjoy the challenge though of trying to make it all happen at once though. Fall plans are actually still not set though as I am now getting the itch to give a real cross season a shot. Either way, I will be racing bikes until probably around the end of November whether it is on skinny tires or fat ones. Thanks for reading, hope it was semi-interesting! Ride on. - Todd

Gravel Grinders, Infinite Sweating, and Summer Head Colds......

The last month has been filled with both excitement, pitfalls, and general states of limbo. The summer heat seems to have been affecting everyone pretty wildly and I am no different. Although I may be young, I can still not hide from dehydration and the painful consequences that come with it. That said, I have been doing a good job of staying hydrated on the long rides even if it means calling for a bottle delivery from someone on a 5 hour ride. Yes, I did call my mother to bring me cold water on a ride and no, I am not ashamed of it.....ok maybe just a little embarrassed.....but no shame! That particular day peaked out at around 97 degrees and I was super happy to have those icy cold bottles of water to dump over myself hour after hour as I contemplated at what point my tires would start to melt. On June 23rd I had the opportunity to take part in the Hilly Billy Roubaix right here in Morgantown. If you have not heard of it, the HBR, as the locals and veterans like to refer to it, is a 75 mile, mixed terrain race comprised of paved, gravel, and dirt roads. This race, along with Southern Cross, Barry Roubaix, Three Peaks USA, and Iron Cross, make up the American Ultra Cross Championship series. And, if the difficulty of the HBR speaks to that of the other races, one tough series it is indeed! If you dont know already, JR Petsko the owner/operator of the Appalachian Bicycle Racing Association has a pretty good reputation for putting on challenging races. Going into the race with this knowledge, I knew that every little advantage that I could get would matter. Because of the terrain of the course and the topography it follows, riding a mountain bike proved to be a real and possibly the best option. After a lot of contemplation over which bike to ride, I settled on my Cannondale Flash 29er. With Stan's No Tubes Race Gold wheels, I easily had the bike under 20 lbs. and really saw no advantage to the cross bike except for the faster rolling tires. Turns out, several other top contenders had the same idea as endurance veterans Gerry Pflug and Garth Prosser both showed up on mountain bikes as well albeit they were a little better prepared in the rubber department. Whereas they had nice, light, skinny touring or low profile mountain bike tires, I stuck with my tried and true Racing Ralph 2.25 Snakeskin. It wasnt really like I thought I needed phenomenal cornering capabilities or unreal sidewall protection but more the fact that I didnt have anything else more fitting lying around and was not about to drop $100+ on tires for one race. They proved not to be a bad choice in the end though and proved almost necessary when I decided to let it rip down one of the gravel descents which caused the peloton to blow apart and the lead group of 4 to form. After that, Garth, Gerry, and the only remaining rider on a cx bike Adam Driscoll, and myself took turns leading the climbs and pulling the flats until Garth made a brave move by blowing the last aid station in hopes of getting away. I made a quick stop at the aid, tried to chase, but then began cramping and had to hit the abort button. Seeing as my focus has been on the shorter XC events this season, my training really hasnt been preparing me to make big moves and attacks when the clock hits 3+ hours. I kept that in my mind the whole race and when my body finally said enough I just put on the cruise control. I still managed to pull of 3rd overall after getting passed by Gerry on the final decisive climb and was actually really happy with it considering the little preparation both in training and equipment on my part. The final results put me in 3rd overall and on the top step of the podium for the Under 40 age group. Who knows, after that experience, maybe I will have to take a year and focus on the longer stuff.

Next up on the list was the Tomlinson Run XC Challenge in Weirton, WV. Again being another ABRA event, I was more than prepared for a tough day. Add to that the 100 degree temperature and it made for an almost epic race. I led it out smart and followed wheels letting others make the moves. Rob Spreng was the first to try something and put a dig in on a longer climb about half way through lap 1. I followed his wheel and kept myself in check. I could tell he was working a bit harder than myself and knew that if I could keep the gap from opening up on the downhills, where he really shines, I would have a good shot at the win. Much to my dismay, a busted sidewall brought me to a screeching halt after nailing my rear wheel on a brick, yes a big, red, mortar brick, on the courses screaming fast 25+ mph downhill. I was able to throw a tube in it and boot it but found myself flat again the next lap around. Unwilling to surrender I put in another tube, got the tire up to about 18 psi, and gingerly raced the last lap to bring home 4th place in the Pro/Open. I have to admit that I was not too happy with the result given where I was at the start of the day but, hey, that's mountain bike racing. Right now I find myself in the beginning of a rest week after several hard weeks of training. I have really been making a big push this year to add some good, top end speed to my quiver and the work seems to have been paying off. I am happy to say that the rest of the summer is much less structured as far as race plans go and I plan to mainly play it my ear as far as races go. I would like to get out to a few of the bigger races on the East Coast this summer and am planning to try and get down to Fontana Dam for the US Cup East race there. I still keep milling over the idea of a mountain bike stage race but until I graduate college and get a real job or find someone generous enough to donate me an entry, that idea is out. Well, now its off to plan a nice little weekend camping trip with the family. Ride on... - TL